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Monday, July 30, 2018

River & Rail

~Articlewritten and pictures taken by Linda M. Grace

PublicityClerk, Old Forge
Visitor Center

The sky was a perfect
blue and bright with the sun. The warmth of the sun’s rays felt good to our
vitamin D deficient skin after so many cloudy, rainy days of last summer. It
was perfect day that begs to be used for some outdoor fun. So, a friend and I
decided to do the River and Rail Trip offered by the family owned and operated
outfitter, Tickner’s Canoes in Old Forge. We bought our tickets early to ensure
our spots on the train. We each had our own kayak but Tickner’s does have
kayaks and canoes for rent. The staff at Tickner’s was very helpful and
knowledgeable as they answered questions and they even helped us launch our
boats.

The Green Bridge

The mystical beauty of
the Moose River always captures my attention, whether driving over it on the
Route 28 bridge or the Green Bridge, or walking across the TOBIE Trail bridge. I
was looking at these bridges from a different point of view as I was passing
under them as a part of that esoteric flow.

The curvy path of the
Moose River winds around tufts of small, grassy islands that could be hiding
refuges for wildlife. On one such island, we saw two turtles poised on a log as
if they were just getting ready to kiss.

It is a pleasant paddle
to where we must get out before the Lock and Dam. We decided to have our lunch
on the grass there. As we ate, we heard the train across the river and watched
and waved at its passengers as they went by. Later that day, we rode a
returning train overlooking other paddlers and onlookers. It's a great
Instagram picture opportunity and, for those of us who are still “old school,”
it’s as pretty as a postcard. After lunch, we do the quick carry around the
Lock and Dam to continue our trip downstream.

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Lock and Dam

Part of the mystique of
the Moose River is how curvy it is - an adventure just waiting around each
bend. Of note, it is these very waters that the 1800’s steamboat, the Fawn,
used to travel as it carried passengers up to another river to the dam. The
Fawn passengers, opposite to us, would start their day riding the train to
McKeever to the Lock and Dam, where they would continue their travels on the
Fawn. From there the passengers would load onto another steamboat that would
carry them to the Fulton Chain of Lakes.

The current pushed our kayaks ever so gently. We held our paddles on our laps, and laid back in our boats, allowing the water to carry us along as we soaked up the sun. It was a pleasant, relaxed way to spend our Saturday.

This was our first time doing this trip, so we had started a little earlier than the suggested time; because we weren’t really sure how long it would take us to get to where the train was to pick us up. But we felt confident to make it by time, so we paddled at a slow, comfortable pace. Along the way, there are old paddles serving as sign posts to let paddlers know how many more miles they have to go.

The Moose River with the railroad beside it.

Most of the trip, we
were silent, enjoying the peace of the woods on both sides of us. But
sometimes, the magnificence of it all fairly overwhelmed us and we shared how
blessed we were to be able to enjoy such splendor. We both work a lot and are
very busy outside of work as well. Making time to do this trip involved some
planning and meant leaving other things to do for later. But we agreed that
spending a day like this is good for our well-being.

I remember reading that
between 1885 and 1954, people suffering from tuberculosis were sent to the
Adirondacks to breathe in the fresh mountain air as part of their treatment.
Healing, peace, fresh air…seems good for whatever ails you!

The carry

The miles on the river were easily maneuvered and it wasn’t long until we had the option of riding through some mild rapids or to take our kayaks out for a carry. We chose the easy, flat carry. It was a pleasant walk and felt good to stretch our legs. Then a fast vertical paddle across the river brought this part of our tour to an end.

The canoe topped shelter

An interesting little
shelter is set up by the trail up the embankment to the railroad loading dock.
We were about an hour early for the 4pm train pick up, so when a train heading
south stopped, they informed us they were on their way down to Otter Lake.
Since we were there early, they said they would give us a ride instead of
making us wait for the return trip. They helped us load our boats and we went
on our way.

The ride to Otter Lake
was a pleasant one, as the tracks run through some charming woods. A lot of the
way it also travels alongside the Moose River.

It was nice to continue
to see the water’s glistening magical effect from the train’s windows. The
train has seating choices of seats with tables and enclosed windows or open air
cars where the windows are open. The train also has a small Café Car offering
drinks and light food choices. It was a unique experience seeing the Lock
and Dam from the train and the brightness of the day helped me get some good
pics of this.

At the railroad station
in Thendara, Tickner’s van was there waiting to pick us up. We helped unload
our boats and put them on Tickner’s trailer. Everyone was pleasant and happy.
It was an easy, family-friendly paddle that is approximately six miles in
length. All that basking in the sun left me sunburned, but very content. Now
when I look out over the Moose River from the various Bridges, I will have fond
memories of this day on the River and Rail. And my friend and I are making
plans to do this trip again in a few weeks! We’ve decided that it might just be
an annual tradition.